Void Rift (rp) - Intermission

"No. You'd be gone before you could blink if that were the case."
I drag you out of the Radiance.
"Standing in a field of light magic probably wasn't one of the smartest things you've done."

 

I look myself over, and notice my cuts and other injuries have only gotten worse.

I take the amulet off of my neck, which pulses crazily. "Let's see if I can muster the strength to break these rules" I say to myself.

I hold the amulet up high, and it begins to emanate light so strong it turns the surrounding area green. The light courses through me as my eye tints green.

"I know you're there, and you still have that favour you owe me. I'll see if I can get to you, what's happened? It's a long story, I'm sure you know what to do." Strange voices are heard, some from myself, others from the amulet. My eye socket begins to spurt more blood.

A flower begins to grow at my feet.

 

"If you hadn't put Ihra to sleep, she could've freed you from those wounds... You better not be calling in more shadows to kill us."

 

Vines begin to wrap around my hands and arms, working their way up to my torso.

Suddenly, the amulet lets out a large, blinding burst of light. The crystal shatters and the vine chain and wood holder withers away.

"No...!" I whisper, my eyes returning to normal.

Tight wooden gauntlets surround my hands and wrists, and tightly woven vines form sleeves where my clothing had been torn. My other eye is back in it's socket, which no longer bleeds.

"I-It shattered..." I say quietly.

The flower at my feet writhes a little before finally withering away into dust.

 

"Hold on... What the hell just..."

 

"Uhoh."
I say nervously.

 

I try waving my hand in the general direction of Ihra.

My gauntlets begin to glow green as vines start to grow around Ihra, letting out a soft green glow.

The gauntlets fade and return to normal, and the vines start to disappear.

"Don't worry, I just healed her lightly" I say calmly.

 

"She's just tired... Unless those gave her energy, I doubt they had any effect."

 

"They've strengthened her, she should be a little 'perkier' once she finishes sleeping," I say.

"These Nature Gauntlets weren't what I was planning to gain from that amulet, however they'll be useful nonetheless to have powers like Art-" I pause.

I let out a heavy sigh.

 

"Let me guess- That was one of your friends back in your world dying. Well, I may know how it feels. If I mess up too badly, my homeworld gets destroyed."

 

I'm taken aback by this statement.

"N-no, she didn't die. The amulet wasn't like your 'Instant Kill Buttons', it was simply a crystal of hers infused with healing magic. I tapped into it's source and was able to contact her. The gauntlets where a product of the amulet itself, I guess she couldn't heal me if I'm not physically present in my world, no mater how strong the magic is." I explain.

"These gauntlets give me a copy, albeit weaker form, of what she can do. I can't do as much as she can, but it'll come in handy," I say, "So what was this true decay you were talking about? Has it created monsters or something?"

I take out a white crystal, it begins to glow and a girl's voice can be heard laughing from it.
"It's a real long story..."

 

"Again, true decay is simply death that wipes all traces and memories of the victim... But... It's..." I swallow hard.
"...instant."

Ihra appears to stir, but only slightly. Looks like she was just repositioning.

 

"Xephyr wanted to follow me. She... wanted someone to follow. Her Mistress fell. There were two Gods present at the time, so she wanted to follow me. The other God was the God of Fire, and she has icy abilities... so not the best compatibility."

 

"What does true decay have to do with the problems we face? Is there actually a being that possesses that much power?"
Realizing that my light magic was harming AJ, I bend the light around him slightly, causing him to appear fainter with the shadows nearby more pronounced.

 

"We need to do something about this then" I say, "We can't just let something go around erasing people from existence!"

I think for a moment.

"If...if it's instant, and it essentially removes them from the timeline, doesn't that mean if you're fighting alongside your best pal, and he gets hit by it, you'll forget everything about him? That's horrific..."

After a short pause, I stare at Ihra and say

"Ihra's different than you, I saw it; and I'm she knows something we don't."

 

"I see... Her loyalty is respectable, I hope you treat her well. I know that's not within my affairs, but I can't imagine the bond she must've had with her former mistress if she immediately looked for a new master."
She closes her eyes and sighs.
"I want to help, but I can't leave my people to die...

"Yeah, there is. Inconveniently, that's who's after us."

"We've only got one hope, and currently, it's asleep. I doubt she consciously knows something the rest of us don't, but it's what she can do that we're riding our hopes on. And our world. If we told her, she'd crack under pressure. So we didn't tell her."
I swallow.
"So, there's an ancient prophecy. I... uh... It's prophecized that 'The Firstborn' can merge consciousness' with a corrupted deity to liberate them. Well... As far as any of us can remember, Ihra's the only one to be born, not created."

 

"I understand. When the Lost Kingdom tried to invade the Darklands, I put the safety of my people before everything else. Reflet I'm certain feels the same, as she wanted to drive Nyre out of Brisingr, or even more preferably kill him, to protect her people."

"But anyway, I wish to look at your island. I haven't seen anywhere this peaceful and calm... at least, where people live."

 

I ponder this for a moment, thinking heavily about the information given.

I lift my hand, and the Gauntlets begin to glow green again. Vines begin to snake around Vesius, however they don't glow green. The vines eventually fall to the ground, and disappear back into the earth.

"Interesting," I say "I guess, in a way, you're not really 'Alive'. I could've guessed from what you said about those amulets you wear, but you're not really 'Organic'. Ihra is certainly special, and, due to this, I know a way I could help."

After a moment, I say
"I didn't mean by saying you're not alive that you're dead, but you're kind of a magic being, sort of like me. That amulet is tied to you, and it's destruction causes it's sort of 'Life Magic' to leave, which causes you to become that non-existent shell. These Nature Gauntlets couldn't locate a sort of 'True' life, because the thing tied to your life isn't organic in itself; it's an amulet."

 

"Please, go ahead. There isn't much to look at, but nobody gets into fights... I hope my people aren't horrified by the stories they're bound to ask you to tell. Not that I don't believe you, but they've heard nothig of the world outside the barrier for generations."

"The amulet holds my soul, but yes, magic binds it to my body. I can still die from natural causes; my soul will decay from the lack of a body from there."
I look at Ihra, then you.
"Help is appreciated. Fighting fire with fire is good and all, but a deity against a deity still ends in a draw."

 

"Well, I'm sure my help will make sure that no harm comes to Ihra. Now that I know the strong bonds everyone has with her, and how powerful she is, I know how important she is." I say, with a lighter tone.

"I could help her through a thing we call 'Shadow Empowerment'. It's kind of like possession, however the 'Host' remains in control. By syncing our bodies and brains together, Ihra could gain a form of my powers and become very powerful," I explain, "She could grow wings-" I pause for a moment, "Ok, she doesn't need to grow wings, but she could summon blades in her hands, she could see what I see, she could even resist strong poisons; and be able to breathe underwater."

After a short pause, I say

"'A deity against a deity'?"